AMD speed-bumps, unlocks chips for desktop, notebook

AMD has speed-bumped its A-Series APUs for desktops and notebooks, added an update to its AMD Steady Video tech, and for the first time made a pair of its CPU-GPU mashups overclockable.

The speed bumps are nothing major, but the overclockable APUs (accelerated processing units) should be welcome to those desktoppers who have a penchant for experimentation – and no, not just those with ready access to liquid helium.

If you're tempted by the overclockable four-core A8-3870K ($135) or A6-3670K ($115), however, do note the fine print in AMD's Tuesday announcement of the new parts: "AMD's product warranty does not cover damages caused by overclocking, even when overclocking is enabled via AMD software."

AMD's upgraded line of APUs for desktops ... (click to enlarge)

... and for notebooks (click to enlarge)

The chips' AMD Steady Video tech is designed to stabilize shaky home-shot video, not to make The Blair Witch Project any less nausea-inducing. You can toggle it on or off using AMD's Catalyst Control Center utility or Vision Engine Control Center app, and use it on video running on Adobe's Flash Player 10.2 or later, or any player that uses Microsoft's DXVA API.

"On select systems using AMD A-Series APUs," an AMD spokesman informed The Reg in an email, "Internet Explorer 9 will include an AMD Steady Video plugin, unlocking one-click control to simplify access to the premium AMD Steady Video feature for video stabilization."

The new APUs are already in the component channel, and AMD estimates they'll hit the retail channel "over the next several weeks". ®